Heising-Simons funds a mix of climate and clean-energy policy advocacy, early childhood and PK–3 learning systems, and fundamental scientific research (especially astronomy and physics), with a strong California emphasis and significant Washington, DC policy grantee activity. They favor intermediaries and fiscal sponsors that run collaborative campaigns alongside direct support to universities and large environmental nonprofits, and repeatedly fund a set of core partners to scale policy and research initiatives.
The Heising-Simons Foundation’s recent giving is marked by large, repeated support for climate and clean-energy policy organizations, alongside sustained investments in early childhood systems and physical sciences research. Three consecutive grants to Environmental Defense Fund Inc, all for climate and clean energy policies, show the scale of that commitment: $4,000,000 in 2023, $4,000,000 in 2024, and $3,600,000 in 2025. A parallel pattern appears with Natural Resources Defense Council, which received $3,000,000 in 2023, $3,100,000 in 2024, and $3,300,000 in 2025 for the same policy area. The foundation also backs collaborative intermediaries and university-based research centers, including major support for the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley and for the completion of the Simons Observatory. Its grantmaking reflects a mix of policy advocacy, systems change, and research infrastructure, with recurring support for partners that can carry multi-year initiatives.
In climate policy, the foundation has backed both advocacy groups and coalition vehicles. It gave $2,061,856 to Amalgamated Charitable Foundation for the Democracy Frontlines Fund, and $1,200,000 to Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund for general support. In early learning, it supported systems-building work through $2,000,000 to California Education Partners for a multi-district early grades continuous improvement collaboration, and another $1,500,000 for the Preschool to Third Grade Coherence Collaboration (P3CC). Family engagement appears in a $1,900,000 grant to the National Association for Family School and Community Engagement for the Center for Family Math. On the science side, the foundation funded instrumentation and observatory work, including $1,597,269 to Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network Inc for the MUSCAT4 imager and $1,500,000 to the Regents of the University of California at San Diego for the completion of the Simons Observatory.
Typical grants cluster in the middle six figures: p25 is $75,000, median grant size is $143,042, and p75 is $250,000. The recent list also shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially in climate and early education, which points to ongoing partnerships rather than one-off awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not make program-related investments. It also funds individuals through at least one fellowship program, including astronomy-related support.
$444.3M
$810.5M
$60M
$193.1M
Most grants fall between $75K and $250K, with a median of $143K.
25th Percentile
$75K
Median
$143K
75th Percentile
$250K
About 48% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Top 6 recipient countries by grant volume for Heising-Simons Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 2,059 | $452.2M | 99.5% |
| 2 | Canada | 4 | $295K |
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Concentrated, repeat support: relatively few large multi-year grants supplemented by many repeated awards to core partners and intermediaries. Heavy use of fiscal sponsors and collaborative funds to seed advocacy campaigns and scale systems-change work, with geographically concentrated giving in California and policy activity centered in DC.
Notable grantees: Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, New Venture Fund, California Education Partners, California Institute of Technology
Grant dollars land heavily in California, which accounts for 48% of grants by recipient location and is the top state by grant count. Within California, San Francisco appears repeatedly, along with Berkeley, San Diego, Goleta, Los Angeles, and Modesto. Washington, DC is another recurring hub for policy and intermediary grantees, and the recent list also includes recipients in Alexandria, VA, Boston, MA, New York, NY, Tempe, AZ, and Kamuela, HI. Outside the United States, the recipient country distribution includes grants to Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Côte d’Ivoire, and Eswatini.
The recent grants show a mix of climate and clean-energy policy organizations, early childhood systems intermediaries, and university-based science programs. Examples include Environmental Defense Fund Inc for climate and clean energy policies, California Education Partners for early grades collaboration, and the Regents of the University of California at San Diego for the Simons Observatory.
Typical grant size is in the middle six figures. The distribution provided is p25 at $75,000, median at $143,042, and p75 at $250,000. Recent awards also include several multimillion-dollar grants to major policy and research partners.
Yes. The recent list includes multi-year support for the same grantees, such as Environmental Defense Fund Inc in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Natural Resources Defense Council in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and the Regents of the University of California at Berkeley for the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
California is the top state by grant count, and 48% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. San Francisco, Berkeley, San Diego, Goleta, Los Angeles, and Modesto all appear in the recent grants list, while Washington, DC is also a frequent recipient location.
The listed programs all say unsolicited applications are not accepted, with one exception: the Astronomical Innovation (Astronova™) Fellowship is marked as accepting unsolicited applications. The fellowship is also the only named grant size program, at $100,000 per award.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | $250K | 0.1% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 1 | $500K | 0.1% |
| 5 | Switzerland | 1 | $167K | 0.1% |
| 6 | Chile | 1 | $96K | 0.1% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Current and upcoming funding from Heising-Simons Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: For the California Child Care Justice Network open call, eligible groups and projects must have a physical address in California; fiscally sponsored projects with a California address may apply even if the sponsor is outside California.
Deadline: Applications are due by June 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM Pacific Time.
Who can apply: Organizations and institutions eligible under the Science program's open call guidelines.
Deadline: Applications are due by July 10, 2026, at 2pm Pacific Time.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,600,000 | 2025 | TO ADVANCE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,300,000 | 2025 | TO ADVANCE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES |
| AMALGAMATED CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,061,856 | 2025 | FOR THE DEMOCRACY FRONTLINES FUND |
| GLOBAL IMPACT | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $2,000,000 | 2025 | FOR THE EMERGING BILINGUAL COLLABORATIVE |
| NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FAMILY SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $1,900,000 | 2025 | FOR THE CENTER FOR FAMILY MATH |
| NEW VENTURE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500,000 | 2025 | FOR THE EMERGING BILINGUAL COLLABORATIVE |
| CALIFORNIA EDUCATION PARTNERS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,500,000 | 2025 | FOR THE PRESCHOOL TO THIRD GRADE COHERENCE COLLABORATION (P3CC) |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | TEMPE, AZ | $1,313,000 | 2025 | FOR THE CHILDREN'S EQUITY PROJECT |
| CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY EQUITY FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,200,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY | BERKELEY, CA | $1,155,000 | 2025 | FOR THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CHILD CARE EMPLOYMENT |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,124,831 | 2025 | FOR PRACTITIONERS' VOICE CA 2.0 |
| THIRD SECTOR NEW ENGLAND INC | BOSTON, MA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FOR THE RAISING CHILD CARE FUND |
| NEO PHILANTHROPY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FOR THE FOUR FREEDOMS FUND |
| CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | TO VALIDATE METHANESAT MEASUREMENTS |
| INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON CLEAN TRANSPORTATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALLIANCE FOR EARLY SUCCESS | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILANTHROPIC VENTURES FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT QUALITY UPK IMPLEMENTATION IN CALIFORNIA |
| POWERMYLEARNING INC | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FOR FAMILY PLAYLISTS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS SUPPORT |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE | BOULDER, CO | $1,000,000 | 2025 | TO ADVANCE U.S. POWER ($600,000) AND TRANSPORTATION SECTOR TRANSFORMATION ($400,000) |
| ADVANCED ENERGY INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $900,000 | 2025 | TO REFORM WHOLESALE POWER MARKETS, EXPAND TRANSMISSION, ENGAGE IN UTILITY PLANNING IN KEY STATES ($800,000), AND DEFEND CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS ($100,000). |
| CLIMATE POWER EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $850,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT | WASHINGTON, DC | $817,770 | 2025 | FOR THE SRCD POLICY FELLOWSHIP |
| LEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE | PALO ALTO, CA | $780,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $775,000 | 2025 | FOR THE STANFORD CENTER ON EARLY CHILDHOOD |
| AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND | DENVER, CO | $750,000 | 2025 | TO STRENGTHEN INDIGENOUS EARLY CHILDHOOD PEDAGOGY AND WORKFORCE PATHWAYS AT TRIBAL COLLEGES |
| UNITED STATES ENERGY FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $750,000 | 2025 | TO ADVANCE CLEAN VEHICLE STANDARDS AND TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION |
| ENGLISH LEARNERS SUCCESS FORUM | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $750,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $750,000 | 2025 | FOR ECPIHE PHASE III |
| TNTP INC | NEW YORK, NY | $749,335 | 2025 | TO PROTOTYPE A PIPELINE FOR TK EDUCATORS READY TO SERVE MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS |
| EDSOURCE INC | OAKLAND, CA | $700,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | SEATTLE, WA | $700,000 | 2025 | TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING THE DISTRICT INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP FOR EARLY EDUCATION (DIAL EE) |
| CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS | WASHINGTON, DC | $700,000 | 2025 | FOR THE TACKLING CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE PROGRAM |
| CLIMATEWORKS FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $700,000 | 2025 | TO ADVANCE CLIMATE FINANCE |
| GRIDLAB INC | BERKELEY, CA | $700,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA | TUCSON, AZ | $626,580 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE SECOND DEVELOPMENT PHASE OF MAGAOX |
| TIDES CENTER | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $625,000 | 2025 | FOR THE STARFISH INSTITUTE'S STEM EDUCATION WORK |
| JAMES BELL ASSOCIATES | ARLINGTON, VA | $611,983 | 2025 | FOR THE NATIONAL HOME VISITING RESOURCE CENTER |
| HOPEWELL FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR THE PIPELINE EDUCATION FUND |
| FUTURO MEDIA GROUP | NEW YORK, NY | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COMMUNITY INITIATIVES | OAKLAND, CA | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR THE JUST SOLUTIONS |
| OFICINA LEGAL DEL PUEBLO UNIDO INC | AUSTIN, TX | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR COALITION WORK AROUND OPERATION LONE STAR |
| RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY | NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR 2023 AND 2024 STATE OF PRESCHOOL YEARBOOK |
| ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA | TUCSON, AZ | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR THE NAUTILUS SPACE OBSERVATORY |
| WINDWARD FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $600,000 | 2025 | FOR THE MOVING FORWARD NETWORK |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY | BERKELEY, CA | $582,899 | 2025 | TO TEST THE QUANTUM COHERENCE OF GRAVITY |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $549,998 | 2025 | FOR THE DATA REDUCTION PIPELINE FOR THE HIGH-RESOLUTION INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH FOR EXOPLANET CHARACTERIZATION (HISPEC) INSTRUMENT |
| CENTER FOR APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY | BOULDER, CO | $525,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $505,000 | 2025 | TO ADVANCE CLEAN TRANSPORTATION AND CLEAN POWER |
| CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | PASADENA, CA | $500,288 | 2025 | FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKIPPER TECHNOLOGY |
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC
$3,600,000TO ADVANCE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$3,300,000TO ADVANCE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES
AMALGAMATED CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
$2,061,856FOR THE DEMOCRACY FRONTLINES FUND
GLOBAL IMPACT
$2,000,000FOR THE EMERGING BILINGUAL COLLABORATIVE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FAMILY SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
$1,900,000FOR THE CENTER FOR FAMILY MATH
NEW VENTURE FUND
$1,500,000FOR THE EMERGING BILINGUAL COLLABORATIVE
CALIFORNIA EDUCATION PARTNERS
$1,500,000FOR THE PRESCHOOL TO THIRD GRADE COHERENCE COLLABORATION (P3CC)
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
$1,313,000FOR THE CHILDREN'S EQUITY PROJECT
CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY EQUITY FUND
$1,200,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
$1,155,000FOR THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CHILD CARE EMPLOYMENT
TIDES FOUNDATION
$1,124,831FOR PRACTITIONERS' VOICE CA 2.0
THIRD SECTOR NEW ENGLAND INC
$1,000,000FOR THE RAISING CHILD CARE FUND
NEO PHILANTHROPY INC
$1,000,000FOR THE FOUR FREEDOMS FUND
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE
$1,000,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC
$1,000,000TO VALIDATE METHANESAT MEASUREMENTS
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON CLEAN TRANSPORTATION
$1,000,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
ALLIANCE FOR EARLY SUCCESS
$1,000,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
PHILANTHROPIC VENTURES FOUNDATION
$1,000,000TO SUPPORT QUALITY UPK IMPLEMENTATION IN CALIFORNIA
POWERMYLEARNING INC
$1,000,000FOR FAMILY PLAYLISTS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS SUPPORT
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
$1,000,000TO ADVANCE U.S. POWER ($600,000) AND TRANSPORTATION SECTOR TRANSFORMATION ($400,000)
ADVANCED ENERGY INSTITUTE
$900,000TO REFORM WHOLESALE POWER MARKETS, EXPAND TRANSMISSION, ENGAGE IN UTILITY PLANNING IN KEY STATES ($800,000), AND DEFEND CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS ($100,000).
CLIMATE POWER EDUCATION FUND
$850,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT
$817,770FOR THE SRCD POLICY FELLOWSHIP
LEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE
$780,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY
$775,000FOR THE STANFORD CENTER ON EARLY CHILDHOOD
AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND
$750,000TO STRENGTHEN INDIGENOUS EARLY CHILDHOOD PEDAGOGY AND WORKFORCE PATHWAYS AT TRIBAL COLLEGES
UNITED STATES ENERGY FOUNDATION
$750,000TO ADVANCE CLEAN VEHICLE STANDARDS AND TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION
ENGLISH LEARNERS SUCCESS FORUM
$750,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$750,000FOR ECPIHE PHASE III
TNTP INC
$749,335TO PROTOTYPE A PIPELINE FOR TK EDUCATORS READY TO SERVE MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
EDSOURCE INC
$700,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
$700,000TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING THE DISTRICT INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP FOR EARLY EDUCATION (DIAL EE)
CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS
$700,000FOR THE TACKLING CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE PROGRAM
CLIMATEWORKS FOUNDATION
$700,000TO ADVANCE CLIMATE FINANCE
GRIDLAB INC
$700,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
$626,580TO SUPPORT THE SECOND DEVELOPMENT PHASE OF MAGAOX
TIDES CENTER
$625,000FOR THE STARFISH INSTITUTE'S STEM EDUCATION WORK
JAMES BELL ASSOCIATES
$611,983FOR THE NATIONAL HOME VISITING RESOURCE CENTER
HOPEWELL FUND
$600,000FOR THE PIPELINE EDUCATION FUND
FUTURO MEDIA GROUP
$600,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
$600,000FOR THE JUST SOLUTIONS
OFICINA LEGAL DEL PUEBLO UNIDO INC
$600,000FOR COALITION WORK AROUND OPERATION LONE STAR
RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
$600,000FOR 2023 AND 2024 STATE OF PRESCHOOL YEARBOOK
ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
$600,000FOR THE NAUTILUS SPACE OBSERVATORY
WINDWARD FUND
$600,000FOR THE MOVING FORWARD NETWORK
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
$582,899TO TEST THE QUANTUM COHERENCE OF GRAVITY
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO
$549,998FOR THE DATA REDUCTION PIPELINE FOR THE HIGH-RESOLUTION INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH FOR EXOPLANET CHARACTERIZATION (HISPEC) INSTRUMENT
CENTER FOR APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY
$525,000FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
$505,000TO ADVANCE CLEAN TRANSPORTATION AND CLEAN POWER
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$500,288FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKIPPER TECHNOLOGY